Ever Evolving a proud partnership for community-focused Evolution gym

Taking a step back during the difficulties of the pandemic, when gyms were unable to open to the public, Mike Garner said that he and the team at Evolution Fitness spoke about how they could maximise the business and increase their "social value".

After moving from the former HAMMA premises on North Road to Duncan Street, ten minutes down the road in 2021, one of the projects that has brought the most satisfaction to those at Evolution is the blossoming relationship with the Ever Evolving special needs group.

Each week, service users at Ever Evolving come down for a training session at the community gym, and are able to use the facilities and equipment free of charge.

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Mike said the Ever Evolving partnership is one of the things he is most proud of (Image: Evolution Fitness)

Mike, who is the owner of Evolution, said: "Ever Evolving support a wide range of people and we have really developed a good relationship with them over the years.

"As the relationship has developed, they have brought more people down and I've seen them come out of their shells and their confidence has grown massively.

"In theory, we offer them a free gym membership and our PTs take the time out to train and support them. It's something I'm really proud of and watching them grow over the years has been a great thing."

People at Ever Evolving have access to free training and equipment at the gym (Image: Evolution Fitness)

With the gym's community focus becoming a "main priority" for the business, Evolution has also partnered with a number of local organisations, such as the Steve Prescott and Standing Tall Foundations, to help raise further funds and awareness of charities in St Helens.

The gym has also sponsored local rugby teams, offered children's fitness classes, and operated as a temporary 'Warm Hub' during the winter and cost of living crisis, where residents could come for a free hot drink and a place to stay warm.

The gym offers classes to a wide range of people in the community (Image: Evolution Fitness)

Mike added: "Owning a gym was a very difficult thing during the pandemic, and we were one of the last businesses to reopen.

"We took a massive gamble to move to a bigger premises after covid, so we just wanted to maximise everything we do to make it work and make our social value a priority.

"We have stuck to this and every week we have a meeting where we look at how we have given back and how we can make a difference to the community."

Evolution are also proud partners of local organisations such as the Standing Tall Foundation (Image: Evolution Fitness)

Hoping to continue building their community-focused projects, Mike said that another aim of the business is to increase car parking facilities and address waste issues around the premises.

With full gym equipment and a martial arts space, Evolution Fitness is open from 6am to 10pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 8am to 6pm at the weekend.